Friday – 23 Sep 2011

Well if you like waterfalls, this is one of the best places in the Philippines to visit. I think that is their biggest attraction for tourists. It’s just north enough in the southern Philippines that I may be down there to visit someday.

The economy in Lanao del Norte is predominantly based on agriculture and fishing. Factories are mostly based in Iligan City. Lanao del Norte is the home of Agus Power plants 4, 6, and 7 that stretch from Baloi to Iligan City. It serves as the power supply in some parts of Mindanao. Tourism is also a growing economy in the province.

Hits @ 0034 = 121261 = 6489. Well I did get the 22 Sep post out right before midnight, but I forgot to write down the exact time. I know it doesn’t really matter of the exact time, or even of the time at all, but I like to put exact times when I decide I’m going to use them.

We did get a new reader and possibly a new Pepsi customer or three. If you have been checking the comments, you will know that his name is Rick Smith. He has been getting his Pepsi from a supplier in Tacloban because he didn’t know that this supplier was here. That’s probably because Titing doesn’t like to advertise. He likes to keep a low profile. So the fact that he has been here for years is virtually unknown to most people. Rick says he has already let someone else know of our existence and probably will be letting someone else he knows too. So that’s the 3 customer potential. I’m hoping that all 3 of them decided to order from Titing. A little bit more on this later in this post.

I decided to logged the computer off at 0127. I killed a lot of terrorist before I did though. It must have been close to 300 of them. I still have to use the cheats to beat the game though. I’m just no good at being sneaky. About half the time I ‘try’ to sneak around a corner or a building, one of those damn terrorists is waiting for me. Of course when I make myself invisible, invincible or both, it doesn’t matter. Whatever. Now it’s time to go to sleep.

Now it’s time to get up, or so I thought. I got up at 0824, but it was boring, so I went back to bed at 0829. When it got to 0833 though, I had to get up and ‘run’ to the CR. I made it without incident.

It’s somewhere around 11:45 now and I’m out in LolyKat. I just finished eating something that I will classify as grilled cheese sandwiches. We have no butter left, but I didn’t know that until I already had grilled cheese on my mind and was getting ready to cook. I didn’t want to spend money, that we can’t spare at the moment, on buying some calories that I don’t really need. When we have the extra money, I’ll buy the extra calories. I did make a couple of decent grilled cheese sandwiches, but I almost dropped one on the ground and Lita decided to take over the cooking. She’s not quite as good at cooking grilled cheese as I am. She is a million times better than me at cooking the hard stuff, but when it comes to cooking simple things, that I like, I’m better at it, on most things. This is one of those things.

One of our local crazy guys was just walking by. We’ve got a couple of them around here. This one was messing with another young fellow that was walking down the street. The young fellow started running and the crazy guy started chasing him. Sally, Cathy, Jascyl and Khan all ran up to the front of the store so they could look down the street in that direction. I also saw the security guard at the Ciriaco Hotel keeping an eye on the goings on. Next thing I know, everyone is laughing. I don’t know why though. I’m not sure if they guy got away or if the crazy guy caught him and they were just playing, or what. I didn’t run up to see, I’m not that curious. I probably miss out on a few things because I’m not so nosy, but it looks silly when others do it and if I’m going to look silly, I will do it on my own silly terms.

The band-aids came off while I was taking a shower last night. Now my boo boo is getting some air and is developing a scab. I will try not to use my thumb too much so the scab will stay closed and it will heal faster. It’s hard not to use your thumb though, when you are so use to using it.

I’m starting to get bored out here in the store. I only come out here because I usually write more for the post. But it’s boring. Even when we do have things to sell out here, it’s boring for me. I did start reading a new book. It’s called “The Scorpio Illusion”. It is a book by Robert Ludlum, but it has nothing to do with Jason Bourne. I’m still only on the first chapter, but so far it’s interesting enough to continue reading. I’m going to head back into the house now and watch a little TV before I check out this website comments.

Oh great! When I got in the house and turned on the TV, the cable was out. I could go back to reading, but I didn’t. I just went outside to walk around the compound for awhile. After that I came in to the computer and checked things out. No new comments and no new countries. With no TV and too early to do the post, I killed some zombies because I’m still working my way back up to Level 5, so I can recheck all the notes I have written down. Remember I accidentally skipped a stage when I was writing it up before, so I’m going back through to get the correct information. I’m almost finished with Level 4. If I would have been working on it everyday, I would have been done by now, but I wasn’t. I’ve been taking my time on that. I still have that Level 5 to do plus a general information post before I am done with the Plants vs Zombies.

Lita gave me a bag full of potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers and chicken bullion. It seems that Neneng and Titing bought them for me. I guess they were just being their normal super nice selves. They know that is what I eat the most of around here and we don’t always have it here in the house. I’m telling you that when we get back on our feet here, I’m going to take those 2 on a trip someplace. I don’t think either of them have their passport, but I can take them on a trip to Cebu, Manila, Bicol or someplace in the Philippines if they don’t.

I already told Titing that I’d pay for his airfare to go, but he’d have to let me make the reservations because I’m going to get the best deal I can from Cebu Pacific, since they usually have the best deals. In fact, I saw several today for P1, including Cebu to Clark. Of course getting to Cebu would be the first problem with that. I always hope they have one of those wonderful sales leaving from Calbayog or even Tacloban. I think they make it so there is no way to get a flight for P1 going and being able to come back for only P1. In other words, I don’t believe they have any flights going to Manila or Cebu, or leaving from there. Oh there was a Cebu to Hong Kong for only P888. This would also be a good time to book our flights to Korea for November through January, if we had the money, because Cebu to Seoul is also P888. I’ll bet it’s cold in Seoul during that time though. I’ve never been there then, but it seems it would be. Y’all might what to check them out their sales are so good. When we get back on track, I plan to use them extensively to travel around the Philippines and around the Pacific as much as we can.

Back to the vegetables. I did make some stew and I gave Titing a bowl of it. I haven’t heard anything back from him yet on whether or not he liked it. With Titing I can be sure he will tell me if he liked it or not. Other just tell me things to be nice, but Titing usually just tells me like it is. I like it better when people do that. Do blow smoke up my butt, just tell me. I think the stew was okay, but not my best effort. The 2 bowls of stew I had from the batch did finish off my 1st bottles of A1 sauce and BBQ sauce. So 1 more bottle of A1 and 2 more of the BBQ sauce. The first bottle of Tabasco is still hanging in there.

It rained this afternoon. It didn’t last long, but there was plenty of wind with it. There is another typhoon heading towards the Philippines. It’s not coming for us but we should get some wind and especially some rain from it. It’s heading for the northern section of Luzon. We need the rain, so I won’t be complaining.

Judith and Juvic stopped by late this afternoon. I don’t know why, maybe just to visit. I asked Judith if the plans still called for them to be moving over here in December or January. She said, “Yes, probably January”.

It’s 9:15pm now. I just recently finished watching 100 Days to Heaven. The story is drawing to an end so it’s getting intense. I have to get Lita to explain some of it to me, but I get most of it.

Speaking of drawing to an end, so is this post. From the few notes I had, this one turned out pretty good and I still have to put in the pictures in Philippine History. I even left out a little bit to use for tomorrow, just in case it is lacking. Most of what I left out is continuing on part of the conversation I had with Judith and my thoughts on that conversation.

The time now is actually 11:36pm and I finished watching The Biggest Loser – Pinoy Edition. It too is coming to an end. I believe there is only 2, maybe 3 shows left. Of course they will be starting a new show with new overweight people soon. I think it would be cool to be on a show like that. Anyway .. I hope you liked this post and if you didn’t please tell me why.

4 Comments

Carrots. I’m so glad they grow there now. I used to plant them each time I went home and they’d grow up to a certain “baby” height then just slowly die! Don’t know why but it was quite frustrating.

I’ve heard of those unbelievable air fares but haven’t had the opportunity to be around to take advantage of them. I don’t know if they do now but two-and-a-half years ago Cebu Pacific did not sell tickets online. You would have to go to a local travel office and pay cash. They’re missing out on a lot of foreigners who want to book and pay for their flights ahead of time, prior to their being in the country.

I haven’t seen any comments from your sisters, JJ. Are they OK? I think you mentioned talking to your dad and your son sometime back. They must miss you and Lita.

So PHL has been getting typhoons again. I was told in July that it has never rained that much or that long in SL. Apparently it started sometime in the fall of 2010 and didn’t stop until May 2011!

Have you made it to Tac, yet? The MacArthur Red Beach Resort is still slowwwwly being rebuilt. From what I read a Singaporean consortium bought it last year with the intention of turning it into a 5-star site and started tearing it down. Halfway through the bright boys apparently realized they wouldn’t be able to have an occupancy rate that would make the expense of rebuilding worthwhile, so they’re stalled. I may be a simpleton to think that before investing in it someone should have done his homework, don’t you think? Geshhh.

But Robinson’s hotel is going up fast and might be a welcome business in those parts. Ideal for those who just want clean accommodation when they have to do business and shopping.

We got back in the latter part of August to find weather not so different from the PHL. Our flowers were just blooming like mad, they were actually spectacular. But yesterday the fall weather finally came two days late from the official start of the season. 🙂 I actually had to fire up the woodstove to take off the chill today. But Sunday I was still able to take two large, gorgeous red roses to the little chapel that I attend. That might be the end of it for the year. Sad.

Yes they have carrots here, plenty of them.
We got to take advantage of a pretty low fare on Cebu Pacific, but not one of the P1 sales yet. I’ll work that into a vacation somehow.
No, my sisters nor my niece have left comments for quite awhile. To the best of my knowledge everyone at home is fine.
The typhoons are, as usual, terrorizing Luzon. We just have to put up with a little wind and rain, no big deal as long as the power stays on.
No, we haven’t been to Tacloban yet. It will be the beginning of November before we get there. That will make it 1 year since the last time I could go to the mall. We have actually been there twice since then. Both times at the airport, when we went to Hong Kong, but we didn’t have time before we went and we were too tired when we got back. Just wanted to get home.
I don’t know about MacArthur Red Beach Resort and I never heard of a Robinson hotel, but Robinson Mall is getting ready to start building their mall here, and personally I’m having a hard time waiting.
The weather in the part of Texas I’m from is only like the weather here when it’s raining. When it’s hot here, it’s humid. In central Texas, it just doesn’t get that humid.
Here I don’t know anything about seasons. It’s hot or it’s raining, that’s my seasons.
Type at ya later.

Winda / 27 Sep 11

The first time I went to Robinson’s mall in Palo [well, Tacloban, but it’s really in Palo’s outskirts] they had signs all over about their hotel-to-be. Now it’s taking shape just to one side of their property. Handy. Or it could just be another block of stores and offices.

There are two seasons in the PHL: dry and rainy. Or as someone said recently: rain and more rain. That must be true in some parts of the country.

So it goes…

qais / 27 Sep 11

it’s not robinsons hotel it’s GO hotel, their hotel in tacloban will have 150 rooms, the hotel is part of RPT’s expansion which also include additional stalls.